With the 5 billion level in world population growth reached earlier than predicted by the convention of Rome, there is a desperate need for a reliable method of female sterilization. In addition, such a method must be inexpensive, easy to perform, and void of significant side effects or complications.
There is agreement that a transcervical approach is the least aggressive method and is considered "nonsurgical." In the prior art, three different methods have been investigated on a large scale. In one technique, investigators have inserted a unipolar electrical probe through the hysteroscope into the proximal isthmus of the tube. This technique has resulted in successful occlusion of the oviduct in up to 95% of cases, sometime requiring a second procedure. Significant complications have occurred with this technique, however, such as thermal injury to the bowel and ectopic pregnancy.
Another approach consists of transcervical instillations of quinacrine (Q). Major drawbacks of this method are the need for repeated applications and a significant level of side effects. Hysteroscopic filling of the tubes with silicone formed-in-place plugs has yielded approximately a 90% success rate for first attempts. This technique is time-consuming, however, and requires a high level of technical skill both for the preparation of the silicone and for performing the procedure.